The Inheritance of Dovah
by VeryaTirananniel
Summary: The Dragonborn, a dunmer named Darvala, has been living a life of leisure these past four years- studying regularly with the Greybeards, & building a family with her adopted children, Blaise & Lucia. However, it seems peace is fleeting as her children are kidnapped by strange, birdlike beasts. As she flies across oceans to save her family, she finds herself immersed in a new war...
1. Taken

"Okay Blaise, are you done with your chores? What about you, Lucia?" A dunmer woman smiled at her wards. Thane Darvala, Dovahkiin, was in her house in Whiterun, passing another peaceful day. "Yes ma,"  
the two children chorused, "And Lydia has already given us breakfast." Darvala laughed, "Just remember, Lydia is my housecarl, not a maid or a governess. Now since your chores are done,  
you can both go outside and play with Mila and Lars if you wish."  
The children cheered, swiftly making their way outside. "Don't forget to take your daggers!" After returning from Shor's realm four years previously, the Dovahkiin had spent agonizing hours trying to train her adopted children to be good warriors, or at the very least give them a positive outlook on the warrior/adventurer class. When she was called away on business concerning the civil war (her loyalties lay firmly with Jarl Ulfric) or to slay a dragon, she had asked Lydia to train them in her place. More than once she had heard the people of Whiterun muttering about how she was trying to raise her children as miniature soldiers, and more than once she had laughed, declaring that since she knew she had a seat reserved for her in the Hall of Valor, it was only right that she raised the kids to have a chance for seats as well.

Her line of thought was shattered though, when the ground shook beneath her feet, and the air thrummed in her ears. She looked up quickly, already half out of her seat when the first scream was heard. "Dragon!"

Dashing up the stairs, Darvala quickly donned her elven armor, which, along with her gold/sapphire ring, was enchanted to boost her health. After pulling Dragonbane and Dawnbreaker onto her swordbelt, she strapped her quiver full of arrows to her back and grabbed her Forsworn bow. As she already had her knapsack slung over her shoulder, she wasted no time in sprinting outside.

"Blaise! Lucia!"

she called for her adoptees, and drew back her bow.

A loud roar was heard overhead, and Darvala responded quickly, pointing her bow at the sky just as two shadows wheeled overhead.

_"Yol toor SHUL!"_

A large burst of fire was hurled on her su'um toward the beasts, followed by a Falmer arrow. the arrow tore through the wing of one of the creatures, and blue-green blood rained down from the cut, hitting the ground with a splat as the creature careened away.  
"Archers!"  
but as the guards of Whiterun scrambled to draw and aim their bows, two cloaked figures dropped from the backs of the beasts and hurried away through the shadowy alleys between the houses.  
A feeling of dread settled over Darvala's stomach as she watched them disappear, before she sprinted after them.  
"MAMA!"  
"LUCIA! BLAISE!"  
the sound of the childrens' screams rang in her ears as Darvala rounded the corner into the main square. The figures were trying to wrestle down Lucia, and a large sack on the ground next to one of the figures was moving violently- it didn't take much to know Blaise had been captured.  
"LU!" the dragonborn drew her two swords and hurled herself at the two fiends.  
"Let them go!" with a flurry of her blades, she sliced the hood of one of the figures, the cloth snagging on the sword and getting pulled down in the process.  
What greeted her was a face of nightmares- more unnatural than any blind falmer, the grey skin and black, lidless eyes unnerved her as much as Mirmulnir had when she was only a wandering adventurer.  
A series of clicks sounded from the creature's beak, only to be answered by the other. it seemed they were talking.  
However, when the other let out a breath of gas that knocked Lucia out cold, Darvala dove at the two abominations.  
They fought fiercely, but as she dove in for a killing strike on the one on the right, the one on the left knocked her over the head with the pommel of it's sword.  
"No…" her vision swam, and the dark elf collapsed onto her knees, a thin stream of blood coursing down her forehead, she watched through blurred eyes as the dragon-like beasts swooped down. The two monstrous figures mounted the dragon-creatures, their burdens of Blaise and Lucia slung across their backs like sacks of grain.  
Just before consciousness left her, the Dragonborn was able to muster enough strength for a shout- _"OD AH VIING!"_

**A/N  
Well, there it is! I've actually been writing this in my free time during school, and I've been having such a good time with it! :) I'll update soon, worry not!**

**edit- good lord, so many errors x-x sorry guys**


	2. Monahven

When she came to, it was daylight, and a crowd was murmuring around her.  
"When will she wake?"

"Will she wake?"  
"Has anybody found her children?"  
A deep, rumbling voice boomed through the area next- it was Odahviing.  
"Stiildus heimaar. Calm yourselves. Ysmir can only prevail over so small an ahraan." (wound/injury)  
"Odahviing… it's good to hear your voice, dii fahdon." (my friend)  
"So you awaken!" the ground shook, and Darvala sat up slowly, her head spinning.

Someone passed her a healing potion, and as she swallowed the strawberry-flavored liquid, her head cleared.

"Dii fahdon, did you see two fell beasts flying away from here?"

The white-red dragon stepped forward- they were on the very balcony on which they first encountered one another, at the top of Dragonsreach.  
"Yes. They made to the Southeast."  
"We must find them. They have stolen my children."  
"We will make haste. Are you prepared for the Journey? They made for the eastern sea, I did not see them land, even from the Throat of the World."  
"We'll go see Paarthurnax and Arngeir, and ask them for advice." Darvala resolved, nodding her head.  
They made their way to the Throat of the World, Darvala riding on the back of her companion.  
As they alit on the peak of the mountain, the other dragons shuffled uncomfortably- they had not forgotten the devastation Darvala had brought Alduin, the most powerful dragon there had ever been.  
"Paarthurnax," called Darvala as she leapt from her perch atop the red-and-silver dragon.  
The aging, golden dragon turned to her, and he Shouted.  
_"Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin."  
_The ancient dragon's su'um swirled around the dunmer, and passed her by, as it did with Odahviing. They were unharmed by the Dragons' traditional greeting, and so returned it.  
_"YDrem yol lok, Paarthurnax."  
_The dragon smiled as the fire warmed him, and once it dissipated, he turned to conversation.  
"Drem yol lok. What brings you here with such haste, Ysmir?"  
"Dii kiir lost kosaan kuz." (My children have been taken) she said grimly, and the gold dragon growled.  
"I have come to ask you if there are any lands beyond the eastern sea."  
"There are. In the beginning of time, when Dov ruled the land, there formed among us Erkriin- the cousins. They were Dov, but they had four legs, which we considered unnatural. They were ostracized for their physical differences and for their very limited use of the Thu'um. They communicated using their hah, minds, as well, to make up for this lack of ability in the realm of thu'um. This breached the privacy of all, however, and was graar, crude behavior."  
"I see. And so the Dov pushed them out of Tamriel?"  
"No. They left Taazokaan of their own accord, to find a land where they could rule without concern for true dovah and their drahlun, opinion of them."  
"So there is another land, with these Erkriin, and possibly more men and mer?"  
"Joor cover the land as the su, air, fills the sky. It is doubtless they have followed the Erkriin over the long years."  
"Thank you, dii fahdon, for sharing your knowledge with me. I must speak now with Arngeir, and see if he has anything to offer me."  
With that, she made her way down the path, sliding down some places to save time which would otherwise have been spent walking.  
She strode through the back door of the temple, and shut the door against the snow borne on the winds outside.  
"Dragonborn? What brings you to High Hrothgar on this day? You told us you would next come on the first of Frostfall." Arngeir stood from where the four Greybeards sat meditating.  
"Things have changed, sadon gein. I am traveling to the land to the East, beyond Morrowind and even the eastern seas. I have need of any knowledge you may have, and any assistance you are willing to give me."  
"We do not know of the lands beyond the great seas. It is believed that over the years small groups have traveled across the waters, both to and from Tamriel, but other than the Summerset Isles, there are no far-off lands that we are in contact with. However, we can provide you with any materials you need, if you do not have all that is required of such a journey already."

"You have all of the health potions? What of the Magicka ones?" Lydia had made the trek to High Hrothgar immediately after Darvala had left, and had brought along the weapons, potions, and other supplies, along with the bag enchanted with Feather, which was almost weightless, depending on what was stored inside (like most bags and purses, it was also enchanted to be able to fit within it almost anything, from a set of large antlers to any amount of dwarven scrap metal.)  
"Yes, I have them. Though should anyone already know that, it would be you, seeing as you are in possession of the bag. Give it to me- I have found portable alchemy equipment."  
She lifted up four mid-sized items; a mortar and pestle, an alembic, a calcinator, and a retort. They were slightly rusted at the bases, but the glass was smooth and unblemished, and nearly dust-free, though it had been stored away for decades in the Greybeards' fortress.  
"Those things haven't been in use for decades," Lydia frowned at the antiquated instruments of potionmaking as they were packed away by her Thane.  
"I doubt I will have the time to construct an alchemy lab. These will do."

By way of clothes, Darvala packed a set of blue fancy clothes, a green dress with a leather corset covering the bodice, and a pair of leather gloves and boots. A set of black robes also found themselves packed up, with a cloak made from the furs of saber cats.  
All of this was packed into the bag, and by dusk, the Dragonborn was ready to depart.


End file.
